


Yarn and Parchment

by Amagifu



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Erebor Reclaimed, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-05
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-11-09 03:59:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11096442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amagifu/pseuds/Amagifu
Summary: Accompanied by Ori, a momentary glimpse at post-BOTFA Erebor





	Yarn and Parchment

Neri sat on the low stone wall, her legs stretched out in front of her and her ever-present knitting in hand. Behind her and warm against her back was her backrest, in the form of Ori; the scribe had a portable desk in his lap, as he sat in mirror image to Neri. The two of them had searched out this particular spot in the marketplace several times in recent weeks, as the now-functional massive mirrors scattered throughout the mountain reflected light strong enough to not only shop by but sketch by or knit by. Both were on their afternoon break, trading their official duties for more personal ones.

"Ori?"

"Mmmm?"

"Mind yourself, I need to lean forward."

"Hmm? Oh."

Neri shifted her workbasket closer to her and more between them, trying to steal a glance at Ori's drawing as she did so. He was normally willing to share his work in progress, but today he had practically hidden it from all passersby. She had not yet dared to ask him about the significance of the project.

"Neri, could you shift to your left? I think we are not centered on this bench."

With a chuckle at her companion's attention to details, she braced herself against the stone and pushed, jostling Ori's elbow in the process.

"Oh, sorry!"

"Aaah!"

Ori had a bottle of ink in his hand, refilling the small well in his portable desk, and the bump had sloshed ink over fingers and wrist. He scrambled to stand up, finding himself in Neri's way as she leapt to her feet to help.

"Oh, let me get a rag!"

"Neri, watch out!"

Too late; despite Ori trying to move away from their work area, the iron gall ink dripped across his pale parchment and her equally pale yarn.

They stood together, horrified at the damage done, and simultaneously the apologies burst forth.

"Neri, I am so sorry!"

"Ahhh, Ori, I should have warned you when I was actually moving!"

"I was the one who asked you to move, I should have been better prepared!"

"But I was the clumsy one, bumping you! Oh, your poor sketch!"

"Never mind that; your poor yarn!"

Neri glanced down to her workbasket. The undyed yarn now had dark brown flecks and splotches scattered across the skeins. Some of her most recent handspun, complimented on by her mentor. There was no removing the ink stains.

"Here, let me see that bottle."

"What? Wait, no!"

Using Ori's pen, she flicked a few drops of ink onto the knitting already on the needles.

Her companion wailed, "Neri, why?"

She let out a nervous chuckle. "Well, now it matches the yarn."

Ori gawked at her as she carefully set down the bottle and pen, his eyes getting even wider as the seamstress took his hands in hers to wipe away the offending ink. She could feel him trembling, at a pace that matched her own, whether from anger or self-flagellation over the mess surrounding them. But, what was done was done, and with no malice behind any of it, so why be angry at her friend? She breathed deeply for a moment. "Ori, in all seriousness, please do not fret about my knitting. It was an accident. Besides, I think the flecks of color may look interesting when it's worked in. Iron gall lightens to a nice shade of brown, yes?"

She sighed suddenly, looking forlornly at the scribe's splattered workpiece. Her own trembling redoubled as her stomach knotted in dismay. Unlike her wool yarn, parchment was not at all easy to come by. "That, however, I feel terrible about."

Ori blinked at her for a long moment, as though considering several replies, then eventually let a sigh escape as he gently squeezed her hands. "As you said, it was an accident. From both of us." Still holding her hands, he vaguely gestured down to the portable desk. "I can redo that work quickly enough, especially now that I know how I plan to have it look. That was where most of my time so far had gone into. And, I have extra sheets of parchment from Balin. Please, do not worry yourself about it. I would not want our friendship to suffer from an ill-timed elbow."

He gave her a little shrug and smile, which she returned with a breathless sigh of relief. His hands were warm. She offered a quick prayer for the abundance of understanding that Ori possessed.

Time slipped away as they stood by the stone bench in the marketplace, but they were startled back into the here and now by a hand heartily clapping down on each of their shoulders.

"Okay, you two lovebirds, either settle down or take it elsewhere."

Neri and Ori both stared wide-eyed at Nori, who gave them both a grin and a wink before disappearing as fast as he had appeared. Her face aflame, Neri quickly stepped back and bent down to gather up her workbasket, sneaking a peek at Ori as she did so and catching him doing likewise to her. The though first and foremost in her mind was how she would explain herself to Mother Dori when she returned to her worktable at the tailor's shop, since he watched over his youngest brother even more closely than he minded his apprentices, and she fervently hoped she could speak with him before Nori or any other passersby lit the fires of gossip.


End file.
